You don’t have to think of growth in linear, step-by-step ways. Like rings on a tree and flowing rivers, growth comes in many shapes.

Perhaps, there is nothing inherently wrong with a step-by-step process. However, I cannot help but to notice how progress, upward movement, and growth work differently in nature. From the ways that rings on trees expand to mark time to the ways that flowing rivers evolve and change course, over and over, it is clear that growth comes in many shapes. And then there’s the way flowers simultaneously spring upward, and outward in community with other flowers. There’s the way that birds soar high and also nestle closely. All around there are reminders that nature embraces a multitude of rhythms and cycles…and perhaps, there is more we can learn from them.

Perhaps, when you start to think about where you were a year ago, and you have suddenly realized you are not where you hoped you would be, you can take to a moment to think of about tree rings, the rivers, the flowers…for in the same way their growth patterns don’t possess images of human-made, perfectly built series of steps, your own life might be unfolding in unique layers and textures rather than a linear path. Maybe the notion of taking a “step backward” works in many contexts, but not all contexts, especially when it comes to the multifaceted nature of learning what it means to be alive. Just like the diverse ecosystems in nature, our lives are composed of a variety of experiences and phases, each contributing to our overall journey in unique ways.

You don’t have to think of growth in linear, step-by-step ways. Like rings on a tree and flowing rivers, growth comes in many shapes.

– Morgan Harper Nichols